The team's offense looks primed to improve after a few years under Chad Gailey. Fans are thinking playoffs. Running back C.J. Spiller is thinking higher.

"We split with New England. We had the Giants on the ropes. We are close to being a Super Bowl team," Spiller told NFL Sirius XM Radio on Thursday. "We have to protect the ball."

That's the beauty of the NFL. The Washington Redskins swept the New York Giants last year, so they have reason to believe they are close. Spiller's Bills gave the New England Patriots problems, so they should feel confident they can make a big step forward.

The difference between the Patriots and the Bills is consistency. New England doesn't fall into tailspins like Buffalo did at the end of last year. New England survives injuries and the tough parts of their schedule.

We think the Bills are a dangerous group this year because it all starts up front and they have a lot of promise on both sides of the line. (Don't discount Buffalo's ability to run-block.)

The toughest hurdle for the Bills may be eradicating the losing culture on the team. It's been so long since the Bills have been in the playoffs. Things will go wrong this year. It won't all be smooth. When that happens, the Bills need to respond better than they did in 2011.